Free Hungry Darkness: A Deep Sea Thriller by Gabino Iglesias Page A

speedboat to get close to him. When he had called Tito, Gabe had only been thinking about the money. Once in the water, alone, with enough drugs to get him locked up for three eternities, and on his way to meeting what he was sure were very dangerous men, things had changed drastically. He wasn’t an overly analytical person, but years of being forced to ensure dumb, drunk, and inexperienced people returned to shore alive had changed him. While for most things in life he was a regular person, when it came to assessing dangerous situations, Gabe could imagine outcomes with the same agility and speed that professional chess players analyze moves.  Despite the fact that he was going into an unknown situation, everything Gabe could imagine included his death, or in the best cases, just a serious wound or dismemberment. Finally, he reached the Calderas. The other boat was already waiting there. Without introduction or preamble, the boat pulled up next to him and a group of men armed to the teeth with guns that seemed to have been plucked from the hands of soldiers, took the drugs from the boat, and gave him a thousand dollars.
    Returning home alive and with the cash in his pocket was enough to keep him from promising himself he’d never call Tito again.
    The second time was six or seven months later. He simply hadn’t been smart with his finances and when the wet season came, Gabe struggled to pay rent, keep gas in the boat, and buy food. Although the first time had kept him on the verge of a heart attack for a week or so, Gabe decided to do it again.
    The trip they asked him to do the second time was longer: from the same spot in Caye Chapel all the way to Pájaros. Instead of a second boat, he had to get really close to shore at night. The same collection of bloody, painful endings haunted him all the way to his destination. Finally, he reached a beach near the natural reserve, and six men came to meet him in a couple of dinghies. They retrieved the goods just like the first time, but their eyes and attitude were far more aggressive than those of the first group of men. The bag of money had been a tad heavier, but spending so much time in Mexican waters surrounded by guys who looked like they wanted to kill him took at least half a decade out of Gabe’s life and he was sure had given him a couple of white hairs. He never called Tito again.
    The last trip had been almost a year ago, and now, sitting at home and with the memories of those two long, scary nights accelerating his pulse, he dialed Tito’s number a third time. The small man picked up on the third ring.
    “Yeah.”
    “Tito?”
    “Yeah. Who’s this?”
    “Gabe.”
    “Gabe. Good hearing from you. Need me to set up a trip for you?”
    “No, Tito, not today. I’m calling you because I need a favor.”
    The silence at the other end of the line was a sharp, dangerous thing that Gabe could feel hovering invisibly somewhere over his head. Finally, Tito spoke.
    “What do you need?”
    “I need three shotguns. Three powerful shotguns.”
    “Last time I checked, you had two arms. What the fuck do you need three shotguns for?”
    “It’s a long story. The short version is…”
    “I don’t really have time for stories, Gabe. I can get you three shotguns. No serial numbers. Good stuff. They’ll work, I can promise you that. If I get them to you, you’re gonna owe me at least six or seven trips. And don’t get used to calling me to ask for shit.”
    “I was thinking about paying for them. I’m not sure my heart has bounced back all the way yet from that last trip. Those guys that came in the dinghies at Pájaros looked like they could give the devil some nightmares.”
    Tito laughed. It sounded like someone coughing up a wet, angry cat.
    “Yeah, some of our guys on the other side of the border look a little rough. You can’t blame them for that. They’ve lead rough lives. Anyway, I’ll give you a special price. Maybe that way you’ll rethink doing a few